Age-related changes in the kinetics of water transport in normal human lenses

Abstract

Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) has been used to study the kinetics of water transport in human eye lenses. Fresh lenses obtained from the Queensland Eye Bank were incubated at 34.5°C in artificial aqueous humour (AAH) containing nutrients and metabolites similar to those that are present in vivo. MR images were acquired over approximately a 20 hr period following replacement of H2O based AAH with deuterium oxide (D2O) based AAH. NMR signal intensity from the lenses decreased with time corresponding to a decrease in concentration of H2O within the lenses. A statistically significant correlation (P < 0.001) was found between the rate of NMR signal loss from the lens nuclei and increasing ..